Context. Measuring how the physical properties of galaxies change across cosmic times is essential to understand galaxy formation and evolution. With the advent of numerous ground-based and space-borne instruments launched over the past few decades we now have exquisite multi-wavelength observations of galaxies from the far-ultraviolet (FUV) to the radio domain. To tap into this mine of data and obtain new insight into the formation and evolution of galaxies, it is essential that we are able to extract information from their spectral energy distribution (SED). Aims. We present a completely new implementation of Code Investigating GALaxy Emission (CIGALE). Written in python, its main aims are to easily and efficiently model the FUV to radio spectrum of galaxies and estimate their physical properties such as star formation rate, attenuation, dust luminosity, stellar mass, and many other physical quantities. Methods. To compute the spectral models, CIGALE builds composite stellar populations from simple stellar populations combined with highly flexible star formation histories, calculates the emission from gas ionised by massive stars, and attenuates both the stars and the ionised gas with a highly flexible attenuation curve. Based on an energy balance principle, the absorbed energy is then reemitted by the dust in the mid-and far-infrared domains while thermal and non-thermal components are also included, extending the spectrum far into the radio range. A large grid of models is then fitted to the data and the physical properties are estimated through the analysis of the likelihood distribution. Results. CIGALE is a versatile and easy-to-use tool that makes full use of the architecture of multi-core computers, building grids of millions of models and analysing samples of thousands of galaxies, both at high speed. Beyond fitting the SEDs of galaxies and parameter estimations, it can also be used as a model-generation tool or serve as a library to build new applications.
We study the role of the environment on galaxy evolution using a sample of 868 galaxies in the Virgo cluster and in its surrounding regions that are selected from the GALEX Ultraviolet Virgo Cluster Survey (GUViCS) with the purpose of understanding the origin of the red sequence in dense environments. The sample spans a wide range in morphological types (from dwarf ellipticals to Im and BCD) and stellar masses (10 7 M star 10 11.5 M ). We collected multifrequency data covering the whole electromagnetic spectrum for most of the galaxies, including UV, optical, mid-and far-infrared imaging data, as well as optical and HI spectroscopic data. We first identify the different dynamical substructures that compose the Virgo cluster, and we calculate the local density of galaxies using different methods. We then study the distribution of galaxies belonging to the red sequence, the green valley, and the blue cloud within the different cluster substructures or as a function of galaxy density. Our analysis indicates that all the most massive galaxies (M star 10 11 M ) are slow rotators and are the dominant galaxies of the different cluster substructures, which are generally associated with a diffuse X-ray emission. They are probably the result of major merging events that occurred at early epochs, as also indicated by their very old stellar populations. Slow rotators of lower stellar mass (10 8.5M star 10 11 M ) are also preferentially located within the different high-density substructures of the cluster. Their position in the velocity space indicates that they are virialised within the cluster; thus, they are Virgo members since its formation. They have been shaped by gravitational perturbations occurring within the infalling groups that later form the cluster (pre-processing). On the contrary, low-mass star-forming systems are extremely rare in the inner regions of the Virgo cluster A, where the density of the intergalactic medium is at its maximum. Our ram pressure stripping models consistently indicate that these star-forming systems can be rapidly deprived of their interstellar medium during their interaction with the intergalactic medium. The lack of gas quenches their star-formation activity transforming them into quiescent dwarf ellipticals. This mild transformation does not perturb the kinematic properties of these galaxies, which still have rotation curves typical of star-forming systems.
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